Toxic Metallic Contamination in Wastewater of Some Industrial Areas of Mymensingh Town, Bangladesh

Abstract

Disposal of industrial waste is the major problem and responsible for soil and water pollution. Mymensingh town in Bangladesh is highly susceptible to environmental pollution due to over population, rapid industrialization and urbanization in last decades. A study was conducted at the Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202 to assess metallic (Cu, Zn, Pb, Fe, Mn, Cd) contamination level and physicochemical properties of wastewater of some industrial areas of Mymensingh town. Total 24 wastewater samples were collected from the study area and the concentrations of metals in wastewater samples were determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The mean concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and Pb in wastewater samples were 0.20, 0.20, 0.03, 0.02 and 0.25 µg mL-1, respectively while the amount of Cd was trace. Among the metals, Pb was dominant in wastewater samples and all samples were exceeded the maximum acceptable level, which make them unsuitable for different usages. The mean concentration of Ca2, Mg2, Na, K, Cl-, HCO3-, BO33-, PO43- and SO42- in wastewater samples were 112.39, 27.55, 101.93, 19.26, 213.41, 559.37, 0.56, 23.72 and 32.90 µg mL-1, respectively. In respect of Cl-, HCO3-, PO43- and SO42- content most of the wastewater samples were found problematic for irrigation. The study results concluded that high amount of Pb in wastewater may pose various health hazards to the surrounding environment.

Keywords: Industrialization, wastewater, metallic pollution, Mymensingh, Bangladesh